Wragge, "not
to have set my eyes on that gown. It had gone clean out of my head, and
now it's come back again. Cover it up!" cried Mrs. Wragge, throwing the
shawl over the dress in a sudden fit of desperation. "If I look at it
much longer, I shall think I'm back again in Vauxhall Walk!"
Vauxhall Walk! Those two words told Mrs. Lecount she was on the brink
of another discovery. She stole a second look at her watch. There was
barely ten minutes to spare before the time when Mr. Bygrave might
return; there was not one of those ten minutes which might not bring his
niece back to the house. Caution counseled Mrs. Lecount to go, without
running any more risks. Curiosity rooted her to the spot, and gave the
courage to stay at all hazards until the time was up. Her amiable
smile began to harden a little as she probed her way tenderly into Mrs.
Wragge's feeble mind.
"You have some unpleasant remembrances of Vauxhall Walk?" she said, with
the gentlest possible tone of inquiry in her voice. "Or perhaps I should
say, unpleasant remembrances of that dress belonging to your niece?"
"The last time I saw her with that gown on," said Mrs. Wragge, dropping
into a chair and beginning to tremble, "was the time when I came back
from shopping and saw the Ghost.
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